APA - American Psychological Association

When you cite a specific part of a source, document the last name of the author, the year of publication, AND the page numbers (or chapter, section, line numbers) where the cited material may be found. The citation format varies according to whether the author's name is mentioned in the sentence being cited.

Select an example to view from the following menu:

1. Author Name Not Included in Preceding Sentence 2. Author Name Included in Preceding Sentence

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1. Author Name Not Included in Preceding Sentence

Format:
Cite all three elements (author name, date, and page numbers or chapter) in parentheses, directly following the information being cited. When the citation falls at the end of the sentence, the parenthetical note precedes the end punctuation (the period). There are two commas, one separating the author's name and the date, and one separating the date and the page number (or chapter, etc.). Page numbers are preceded by a "p." abbreviation; chapter numbers by a "chap." abbreviation.

Note: Other parts of sources that may be cited are volume, book, line, or section numbers, particularly in the case of classical works.

Example:

One important study has examined the genetic issues involved in schizophrenia, indicating that there might be a marker for schizophrenia on chromosome 5 (Sherrington et al., 1989, p. 65).

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2. Author Name Included in Preceding Sentence

Format:
Include parenthetical note directly following the author's name along with the year of publication. Place a second parenthetical note directly following the cited material. In this second note, include the page number, preceded by the abbreviation "p." or chapter number preceded by the abbreviation "chap.", etc. When the citation falls at the end of the sentence, the parenthetical note precedes the end punctuation (the period).

Example:

Philip Thomas (1997) attempts to dispel this notion that "psychiatry, like medicine, [is] an area of knowledge unsullied by the complications of society and politics" (p. 4).

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